Metro-area retailers are gearing up for Black Friday, which used to start the day after Thanksgiving but now is well underway on the holiday itself or at kicking off at midnight, which is what Macy's did last year at all its U.S. stores, including Washington Square in Tigard. To win over shoppers this season, many stores have expanded layaway programs and promised to match competitors' prices.
Motoya Nakamura/The Oregonian

Retailers haven't had the jolliest of holidays in recent years.

Chains large and small struggled through shopping seasons tempered by recession, competition from such online operators as Amazon and shoppers' increasing reliance on smartphones to track down low prices.

But this year, retailers are looking to have it all.

They'll give you doorbusters on Thanksgiving evening, at midnight and at dawn. They'll layaway more gifts than ever and previewed their Black Friday discounts weeks in advance. They'll match prices so you won't have to run all over town. And at least one guarantees it'll get you any of its three most popular gift items if you're willing to wait in line.

And more than ever before, they want you to have fun on the frenzied weekend that kicks off the holiday shopping season, whether that means free food and music Thursday night or tossing plastic-wrapped poultry down an ice rink at 2 a.m. on Friday.

Some experts say retailers' plans could work, allowing shoppers of all styles a crack at the deals. Others wonder whether it's a turnoff for those who'd have to pull an all-nighter to get the discounts they want at a particular store.

Overall, retailers are rolling out discounts on some of their more popular items. Yet most shoppers know that other, perhaps less popular items are actually priced a little higher over the weekend than later in the season.

While Black Friday isn't always the best deals day, it's one of retailers' biggest chances to create a little marketing magic. So much of retail these days is focused online, so the day helps them draw shoppers into stores, put them in the holiday spirit and get them to loosen those purse strings.

Shoppers waited outside the Toys 'R Us in Tigard last year ahead of the toyseller's 9 p.m. opening on Thanksgiving. Many more retailers will be open Thursday night, with most offering a second round of deals at dawn Friday. Experts say retailers are trying to make up for slow sales early in the month, when consumers were more focused on the election than their gift lists.
Motoya Nakamura/The Oregonian

More than in the past, malls are helping their stores whip up excitement.

Lloyd Center, along with Clackamas Town Center and Westfield Vancouver, has planned a series of events expected to appeal to the growing ranks of teenage shoppers, who turned out in droves for Black Friday last year. In years past, the theory was that most young shoppers couldn't stomach rising at dawn for deals. But shopping at midnight? That's a different story.

Lloyd Center will offer turkey bowling on its ice rink at midnight and 2 a.m. Clackamas Town Center plans a party in the food court with live music at 11 p.m. for folks to chill before stores open at midnight. Westfield will hand out free energy drinks and glowing headbands.

"People have different preferences when it comes to shopping, and now we're running the whole gamut," said Jessica Curtis, marketing director at Clackamas Town Center, which was packed last year from midnight to 4 a.m. and then traffic picked up again around 6 a.m. In preparation for Thursday night, she's printing up a list of stores that'll be open in the mall. She said she plans to run off 1,000 copies but said she won't be surprised if she has to make more.

"This sets the tone for the entire holiday season," she said. "We're looking for a party environment."